News

  1. Billboard Premiere: "Can't Find My Way Home"

    Gary Graff

    Billboard Magazine

    June 29, 2017

    Steve Winwood Debuts First Track Off 'Greatest Hits Live,' Talks Interest in Dance Music: Premiere

    After more than 30 years of intensive touring as a solo act, Steve Winwood figures it's time to get some of those performances out to the masses. ‘Winwood: Greatest Hits Live’ comes out Sept. 1, spreading 23 tracks across its two discs.

    The set features songs from throughout Winwood's 50-years-plus recording career with the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith (whose "Can't Find My Way Home" is premiered exclusively below) and on his own, most of it hailing from the past decade with his current touring quintet -- which was a key reason Winwood is releasing a live album now.

    "Obviously when I'm playing live shows I'm expected to play a lot of things," Winwood tells Billboard. "But what I've tried to do with the people in the various bands I've played with -- particularly with the band I've been working with the last 10, 15 years or so -- is we try and reinvent some of the songs that I'm known for and I'm expected to play. It's more interesting to us, and we hope it's more interesting to the listener."

    "After a while of collecting these things, I think there's enough stuff here we can put it out, and it's quite interesting," he continues. "I think it's a bit more than just live versions of what's on the [studio] records, you know?"

    Winwood plays keyboards and guitar in the current group, which features Jose Neto on guitar, Richard Bailey on drums, Paul Booth on woodwinds and organ and Edson "Cafe" Da Silva on percussion. He plays the bass parts on foot pedals, modeled after the jazz organ trio model of Jimmy Smith, and Winwood says the configuration gives him a certain amount of space that allows for more improvisation and tinkering with the song arrangements.

    "There aren't too many people who play in this style," Winwood notes. "I'm a bit of a control freak, so I feel that I can control the band by playing the bass as well. The bass lines are much more simplified, and it creates a space, and also makes the rhythm guitar much more crucial. I'm very lucky to have been working for a long time with Jose Neto, who combines the rock of [Jimi] Hendrix and Jimmy Page with Brazilian harmonies and rhythms. It's a great combination."

    Winwood continues to be a road warrior; he toured the North American east coast earlier this year and starts up in Europe next week, with a North American west coast trek slated for the fall and the Midwest in February. He's still enthusiastic about playing live, although the tour durations have become shorter in recent years.

    "I can't really do the very long tours, three or four months at a time," Winwood acknowledges. "It's just by age; after three, four weeks, it's enough for me. I need to rest. But I'm still keen to play; I've been doing it since I was 14 years old. I've never really done anything else."

    Winwood is also working on some new music, as it nears a decade since his last studio album, 2008's Nine Lives. Some of his recent influences, however, may surprise fans.

    "I'm actually quite interested in certain forms of dance music," reveals Winwood, though he shies away from the EDM tag. "The trouble is EDM sort of sounds like people don't have any input into it. I think it has the potential to be an incredible compositional tool, and there are some people in it who I think are making incredible pieces of music. I think the next great composers will be DJs and producers. I think young people deliberately make it very complicated with all the genres and sub-genres because they don't want older people to understand it -- but the more I learn about it, I'm getting quite interested in it."

    Though Winwood has music in motion, there are no specific release plans just yet. "It's a project that's sort of ongoing, and I haven't really reached a conclusion for it yet," he says. "And it did have to go on the back burner because I've been doing quite a bit of touring lately, and it's a bit hard to carry on doing [new music] while I'm touring -- it is for me, at any rate."
    Check out the live version of "Can't Find My Way Home" below, premiering here off Winwood's upcoming Steve Winwood's Greatest Hits Live.

    Premiere: “Can’t Find My Way Home” from ‘Greatest Hits Live’: http://bit.ly/2sVMWBr

    Click here to read the original article via Billboard

  2. Summer/Fall Tour Dates
  3. Remembering Gregg Allman

    "Gregg was one of the greatest Southern Rock/R&B singers of all time, having a unique blend of Country, Soul and Rock. In fact, he virtually invented the genre. I had been lucky enough to sing with him on a couple of occasions, and aside from being an incredible musician on both guitar and keys, he was a great person, and I feel very blessed to have known and worked with him. Music has lost one of its greats, and he will be remembered for his work for a very long time." - Steve Winwood

  4. Telluride Blues Festival Lineup Announced

    The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival Announces Artist Lineup Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Steve Winwood, TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band, Anders Osborne, The Revivalists, Benjamin Booker, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Magpie Salute and More!

    Telluride, CO (March 23, 2017) – As September 15-17 inches just a bit closer, the 24th Annual Telluride Blues & Brews Festival reveals its 2017 artist lineup. The festival returns with a dynamic, well-rounded mix of live blues, funk, indie, rock, jam band, gospel and soul performances with Bonnie Raitt, Steve Winwood, TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band, Anders Osborne, The Revivalists, Benjamin Booker, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Magpie Salute and many more. The complete list of announced artists is included below.

    “I couldn’t be more excited about the artists on this year’s lineup. Steve Winwood has always been on my Blues & Brews bucket list. When I heard about the TajMo collaboration between Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’, I knew it was a perfect fit for the festival” said Steve Gumble, Festival Director. “It’s not too often that you get to see two blues legends with a full band play a set together. As always, we are thrilled to have Bonnie Raitt playing in Telluride again this year. With 20 albums, 10 Grammys, and an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, we’re truly honored to welcome Bonnie back to the mountains. When all these artists are placed on one bill, it forms a really well-rounded, powerful and inspiring music festival. 56 craft breweries is just icing on the cake!”

    Artists will perform on three stages under the towering 13,000 foot Rocky Mountain peaks as the fall foliage season begins to brighten the landscape. To complement the music, the festival proudly boasts a wide variety of local and regional food and craft vendors, children's activities and cozy late night club shows (Juke Joints). In addition, attendees can enjoy an assortment of special events throughout the festival weekend including the “Blisters & Brews” 5k fundraiser race, free Yoga Sessions taught by instructors of the Telluride Yoga Festival, the Telluride Blues Challenge, Campground Sessions and the Sunset Blues Concert.

    Honoring its craft beer roots, the festival uncorks an equally impressive and diverse collection of 56 craft breweries boasting 170 styles of craft beer and cider at the festival’s Grand Tasting. Highly regarded as one of the premier beer tasting events in the Southwest, the Grand Tasting takes place inside the festival grounds on Saturday, September 16 from Noon to 3pm. Official festival beer sponsor Sierra Nevada Brewing Company will also be on hand with a bevy of favorites including classics and rare creations such as the “Back Porch Lager” (only available at Telluride Blues & Brews Festival).

    Additional artists and the stand-up comedy lineup will be announced in the coming weeks. The festival schedules for the Main Stage, Blues Stage, Campground Stage and late night Juke Joints will be released in the early months of summer.

    2017 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival Artist Lineup:

    Bonnie Raitt
    Steve Winwood
    TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band
    Anders Osborne
    The Revivalists
    Benjamin Booker
    The Blind Boys of Alabama
    The Magpie Salute
    Delbert McClinton and Self Made Men
    Chicano Batman
    Tab Benoit
    The Record Company
    Samantha Fish
    Ben Miller Band
    Eric Lindell
    Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers
    Robert Finley
    Alabama Slim
    Jack Broadbent
    Delgres
    Monkey Junk
    A.J. Fullerton featuring Stud Ford & Nic Clark
    JW-Jones
    Steve Itterly – 2016 Telluride Blues Challenge Winner
    More artists and comedian lineup will be announced soon!

    Three-Day, late night shows (Juke Joint) and Camping Passes are on sale now. Three-Day passes are $200 plus service fees. Single day tickets go on sale June 14th. For festival information or to purchase tickets, visit TellurideBlues.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (866) 515-6166. Tickets are also available locally at Telluride Music located at 333 West Colorado Avenue.

    About
    Renowned as one of the most scenic and intimate music festivals in the country, Telluride Blues & Brews is located in the world-famous picturesque mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. The multi-stage (Main Stage, Blues Stage, Campground Stage) celebration of music and craft brews offers an eclectic mix of live blues, funk, indie, rock, jam-band, gospel and soul performances. Some of the best craft breweries in the country, along with a wide variety of local and regional food and craft vendors, children's activities (climbing wall, bounce houses and bungee trampolines, parades), cozy late night club shows (Juke Joints), a 5k fundraiser race, free yoga sessions and much more round out the 24th annual weekend celebration. Set at the beginning of the beautiful fall foliage season, the event also boasts a number of unique local outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain biking and a free gondola between Town of Telluride and Mountain Village.